Ato omoi gotoku retsu tsurete koori
by Fleur de Anemone
Summary: Gaara would never meet a girl like her again. [GaaraxOC in later chapters]
1. And Who Might You Be?

**Ato omoi gotoku retsu tsurete koori  
****A heart as cold as ice  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter one: And Who Might You Be?**

It was during the last tournament during the first chuunin exam when he first saw her. Gaara wasn't particularly interested in the fight between Shikamaru and Temari, which made him eager enough to survgey his surroundings. That was when his eyes fell on her.

She was tall, with piercing red eyes that were fixed on the battle before her. Her hair was such a deep blue it was black, metallic in the half-light of the room. In fact, it looked like it was metallic all around. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly, but she wore all black. A black shirt, black jeans, and her headband around her neck. It was hidden by the high collar. Her shirt was a style somewhat like the Uchiha's.

There was something in the way she held her head high that kept Gaara watching. Something in the way she moved, the way her eyes darted place to place. The way she shifted from foot to foot. The way her hair blew in the air kicked up from the fight.

And suddenly there eyes were locked. There was a split second of surprise from each of them, then a glaring contest began. The girl stared. Gaara stared.

Then the girl winked, cocking her head to one side in the process. She turned her attention back to the fight, allowing Gaara to think.

Now _that_ was unnatural. Girls didn't _like_ Gaara. They _feared_ him. Gaara turned his attention back to the fight, trying to ignore the phenomena that just happened. But his jade eyes once again swiveled to look at her. She was focused on the fight, leaning against the railing, her fingers laced together in a thoughtful gesture. Gaara began to think she was a machine, enormous amounts of binary and mathematics being processed behind those eyes the color of rose petals.

Gaara tore his thoughts from her to talk to the Shukaku.

_Why do you keep looking at her? _The demon asked curiously.

_I honestly don't know. It's something in the way she acts._ Gaara replied, crossing his arms. _She's all calm and collected, not at all like the other girls. _He looked down at his sister and shook his head. _She's like a robot with human qualities. Such as thought and feeling._

_Maybe she's just strange. _The Shukaku suggested.

_Maybe._

_You're up soon._

Gaara half-smirked to himself. _I know. I'm worried the Uchiha won't show._

_He will, believe me. Demons can tell._

_I'll take your word for it._

Finally, Shikamaru gave up and Temari was the winner.

There was a rumble of "Where's Uchiha?" Through the crowd.

Temari hopped up over the rail and Gaara said, "He'll show. Definitely."

Suddenly there was a rush of leaves down in the arena. Most people stepped back, thinking someone could be invading.

But it was just Kakashi and Sasuke.

"You're name?" Gemma asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Gaara's eyes shot to the girl again. Her eyes were narrowed, her knuckles white, tightly clenched around the railing. He'd never seen a girl grip anything like that.

Finally his eyes shot to the Uchiha, glaring into those eyes black like obsidian. Naruto and the Uchiha shared some last words, and then Naruto ran back up to the stands. Gaara looked back along the railing, and the girl was gone.


	2. As Luck Would Have It

**Ato omoi gotoku retsu tsurete koori  
****A heart as cold as ice  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter two: As Luck Would Have it**

As luck would have it, Gaara saw the girl again during the second time the chuunin exams were held, the time when the Uchiha and Naruto were gone training with their respective sennins. She looked exactly the same as he had seen her first, unless you count older and more robotic-like. More intelligent-like. Her skin was pale as ever, her eyes deeper than before. Seas of red against skies of white.

_That girl annoys me._

_How? _Gaara asked as he watched a fight between Hyuuga Neji and some other genin.

_I don't know. _The Shukaku replied skeptically. _There's just something about her that makes her strange. They way she moves, or the way she pays attention._

_The tone of her skin._

The Shukaku chuckled inside of him. _Now why do you say that?_

_It's so pale. Like my skin. Could she possibly contain a demon? What village is she from? _Gaara narrowed his eyes. _I can't tell. Her collar's in the way. She can't be from the sand. I've never seen her._

_And you're going to be appointed Kazekage if you become a chuunin._

Gaara stiffened. _Kazekage? Why after the exams?_

_Notice, I said "if." Baki is probably putting your through this again to test your abilities. Most likely, if you show yourself in battle _without _going insane, you'll take your father's place._

His jade eyes narrowed more. _So be it._

"You keep staring at me."

Gaara, suddenly alert, whirled around. There was no one there. Turning back to the fight, he found the girl leaning against the rail beside him, where Temari once stood. Temari was now on his other side.

When did that happen?

"Why?" She turned her face towards him and he got a look at her hitai-ate. The metal plate was completely devoid of all markings like a clean sheet of steel.

Ignoring the question completely, Gaara crossed his arms and said in an equally blank tone, "Where are you from?"

"A minor village. The Dark Sand, or Kurai-Sunagakure. It's a very small village in the Wind Country near you. We're so small you've probably never heard of it. We have no kage because there are barely eight families in this village."

"I see."

"Now why do you keep looking at me?"

"You interest me."

"Is that so." She shrugged and turned back to the fight. "I get that from a lot of people. Genin, chuunin, jounin, ANBU, missing-nins, kages, even normal citizins. Got it from your brother and sister a few times over."

"How do you know them? How do you know me?"

"Gaara, who _doesn't_ know you?"

Gaara could understand this.

Looking at the big board up on the other side of the arena, Gaara turned. "I'm next. Good bye."

The bracket for the 5th fight read this: "Sabaku no Gaara vs. Takai Crow." Gaara had no idea who Takai Crow was, but nonetheless, he would defeat him.

Once he was down there, he was surprised to see the girl. "Your name is Crow?" He asked.

"Takai Crow. _Death Crow._" The girl replied. "It's funny, really. Do you know what a bunch of crows is called?"

"No."

"A _murder_ of crows."

Someone this confident could be sent to an asylum. _CONFIDENT_, against _SABAKU NO GAARA_? It was categorized as insane for eternity.

"Ready! And, begin!" Gemma called, the leader of this exam as well as the last.

"I forfeit."

The arena fell silent. Nary a whisper was heard. Crow's hand was in the air, her eyes shining with intelligence like glittering crystals. "I give up. I can't defeat such an awesome foe. I'll try again next year."

_WE DIDN'T EVEN GET TO FIGHT! _The Shukaku raged. Gaara kept it in check before it could break out in the form of his behavior.

"You're smart," Gaara commented, turned to walk with her as she returned to the upper levels.

"Not so skilled as I am smart," Crow replied, not even shooting him a look. "I'd prefer to go on living."

Gaara, on the inside, was shocked. Last year, that Naruto had taught him a lesson in being kind and not killing anymore. On the outside, he simply said, "I wouldn't kill you, Crow."

"Maybe not." Crow hesitated. "But the aftermath might kill me. I'd end up in rehab."

Gaara laughed dryly. "You would," He agreed. "I just have one question."

"And what's that?"

"How _do_ you know me?"

That made Crow laugh. Her laugh was rich and vibrant. "I live near you, we get newspapers too, you know. We're not that dumb." She grinned. "Are you... Doing anything later?"

Gaara stared at her and blinked. "What?"

"Are you doing anything later?" Crow repeated slowly.

"Are you asking me out?"

"Maybe."

"Well anyway, yeah, I am doing something later."

"Okay then." Crow shrugged. "Whatever."

Finally, they reached the railing again, in time to see the fight commence between Hinata and Tenten. Gaara leaned on the railing and looked at her. "Last year."

"What?"

"Last year, when I fought Sasuke. You saw him and ran off."

"What of it?"

"Why?"

"I hate him. Him and his stupid clan. They think they're so great, with the sharingan and all, when it's not really that useful anyway. If you're fast enough you could beat them up in a second. They rely on their talents more than their physical strength." She replied. "It's like there're just so much damn _better_."

"I just hate him because I can."

"Welcome to the club, buckoe."

And least now they had something in common.

Gaara's eyes remained fixed on her face, until he finally said, "I'm not busy. Are you doing anything later?"


	3. Hold Hands and Kiss and Stuff

**Ato omoi gotoku retsu tsurete koori  
****A heart as cold as ice  
****By Areku1993  
****Chapter three: Hold Hands and Kiss and Stuff**

"So where are we gonna go?"

Temari and Kankurou looked at Crow as if she were an enormous slug. Gaara watched them, curious to their thoughts of the strange girl.

"We'll just go out to eat or something. I'm hungry anyway." Gaara replied. "Temari, Kankurou. Follow us and I'll kill you."

Temari and Kankurou knew better than to disobey their demon-bearing brother. Temari shrugged. "Fine. Just remember they way home."

"I'm not stupid, Temari."

As Gaara and Crow left, Temari looked at the second youngest brother and said, "So, want ramen?"

"Going to play with Karasu. Oiling him up for whatever I have to do."

"Can I help?"

Kankurou stepped back nervously. "Temari, you're all nice..."

"Without a baby brother to be afraid of, I need something to do!"

* * *

Gaara slurped up his ramen with barely any words. Of course, he did slurp it up in a dignified manner. For he was a dignified person.

Crow just watched him, running a hand through her metallic blue hair. People did generally talk on dates. In fact, the GENERAL POPULATION usually talks when they're on dates. But Gaara wasn't like that.

Crow had started several times to spike a conversation, but it didn't work. Finally, she just said, "If you're not going to talk to me I'm just going to leave."

"There's no rule that said I _have_ to talk to you."

"But that's what people _do_ on dates! They _talk_!"

"People also hold hands and kiss and stuff on dates, but you don't see us doing that, do you?" He replied with a straight face.

"We could do that!"

"You want to hold hands and kiss and stuff?"

Crow sighed. "No, I want to be on a _normal_ date!" Then, she gained that intelligent gleam in her eye and said, "But we _could_ hold hands and kiss and stuff if you want to."

Gaara set down his ramen bowl. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just that..."

Gaara scrutinized her face and found no hints of thought. "What?"

Crow pointed. "You're already holding my hand."

Their fingers were intwined already, and Gaara didn't even notice. He stared blankly and began, "When did you...?"

"_Me_? _You're_ the one who grabbed my hand."

"I did not!"

"You did so!"

"I did not!"

"You did so!"

"I did not!"

"You did so!"

"I did not!"

"You did so!"

Finally, when Gaara realized the argument wasn't going anywhere, he let go of her hand, recoiling like a injured snake. "You're tricky. And illusionist."

"Not quite." She smiled at him. Her teeth glittered with an alien light. "I'm just fast."

Something in that smile made Gaara smile back. And at that precise moment, Gaara knew her tricks.

"You're a humanic."

Humanicy was something the students learned about in the academy. It was not a bloodline limit, nor could it be learnt; it was natural. Like some people are psychic, some people are humanic, which means they can affect people depending on their emotions. If the person is happy and they smile, whoever they smile at is happy. If someone sees them cry, then they are sad. Most humanics learn from special senseis how to control their humanicy to use it at will. Humanicy could be identified by glitter; such as, when people smile, their teeth glitter. When they cry, their tears glitter. And so on.

Crow rubbed the back of her head, averting her eyes to look out a window. "Yeah, I mean, didn't you know...?"

"Why did you use your power just now?"

"I wanted to see you smile. You're cute when you smile. If you smiled more often, more people would want to be your friend."

_I hate smiling. _The Shukaku contradicted angrily.

_I haven't smiled since you took over me._

_Get up and leave._

_No way. I don't want to leave her alone._

_But _I _want to leave her alone._

Gaara sighed and stood up. _Fine. _He stepped away from his seat and shoved his hands in his pockets, leaving the ramen shop. Crow watched him walk by the window and stood up as well, paying the bill and leaving. She went the opposite way.

Pulling out some random mp3 player, she was happy to find it fully charged. Gaara turned his head to see her turning the corner, chewing what appeared to be bubble gum, tossing her mp3 player from one hand to the other.

_She's so strange._

_I know! _Gaara replied to his demon. _I don't get it. At one point she's all quiet, then she asks me out, and when I refused, she acts as if nothing happens. None of the other girls are like that. It's like she's lived so much longer, seen so much more._

_Do you even know how old she is?_

_No, but I'm going to guess... 14, 15?_

_Seems right._

_But how does she control her emotions with such ease?_

_It must be the teachings of the Dark Sand._

Gaara stopped in his tracks. _Of course. The Dark Sand! Kurai-Sunagakure! I'm dumb. It must be the way they teacher their shinobi..._

_It must be._


End file.
